Review: 1st-gen Toyota Fortuner

This is a discussion on Review: 1st-gen Toyota Fortuner within Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports, part of the Team-BHP Reviews category; Splendid review, GTO and good job with the video attempt, Rehaan.
While the video was more of a bonus, it ...

Splendid review, GTO and good job with the video attempt, Rehaan.
While the video was more of a bonus, it was a little amateurish in places. Looking forward to more such comprehensive reviews from the team.

There is much less engine noise in the fortuner cabin when compared to the Innova. Especially if you stay in the torque band and do no lug the engine.

The suspension is firm, so it picks up the smaller details in the road - like expansion joints on the expressway or broken tarmac for example.
On smooth surfaces, larger ups and downs in the road are handled with poise since the firm suspension does not bob up and down repeatedly.

I am a great fan of the highway ride of the Safari and the way it absorbs the minor irregularities like expansion joints, breaks in the road, etc. How would you rate this aspect of the fortuner against the safari? That will give me a fair idea of the ride.

Tejas

Like I mentioned before in my earlier post, the expansion joints, breaks in the roads and other irregularties are prominently felt in the Fortuner, reason being the firm suspension.

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well written review.
I think the major reason why the fortuner has full time AWD compared to switchable 4wd like the endy is possibly due to stability issues of fishtailing etc.
i think it noticeable on some of the asian forums regarding fortuner.

Nice review! Again one of the best and I am sure its better than Automags.

About Fortuner.

1) What a road presence! Can give inferiority complex to many so called SUV like CR-V and even Captiva.
In terms of road presence I think that even X5 and X3 are will not have as much road presence as this car. Simply the best road presence upto Rs. 40 lakh.

2) Brakes are a big disappointment ( after reading review ). Not all know how to drive SUV and use the engine braking. And this is a huge car. Honda IMHO has one of the best brakes ( except the G2HC ) in under Rs. 20 lakh.

3) 2WD version availability. This is necessary. How many will use this car offroad ? This can reduce cost, increase FE a bit which is good for average Fortuner user.

4) I am expecting this car to hit Accord sales as well, along with with superb and high end Laura.

5) Assembly in India. Why not CKD route ?

What they will get is :
6) Fight in Rs. 15-17 lakh segment. They will mostly give Skoda and VW cars a run for their money.

Skoda Superb is in different league altogether. For Sedan like comfort, people may still choose Captiva AWD which is loaded with features. For anyone who is spending close to 20 Lacs, couple of lacs here and there won't make any difference but he do expects comfort zone of a 20 Lac car/SUV and honestly speaking even in terms of road presence, Fortuner is incomparable to X5 but that's m opinion.

About Fortuner.
1) What a road presence! Can give inferiority complex to many so called SUV like CR-V and even Captiva.
In terms of road presence I think that even X5 and X3 are will not have as much road presence as this car. Simply the best road presence upto Rs. 40 lakh.

Saw one near Pune Central signal on university road from behind- almost missed it. Looked like another Innova V from behind in the crowd of vehicles till I found the Fortuner badge. The missing spare wheel on the tail gate takes away the Jeep-ish look. Road presence? yes from front but disappointing at the back. I like SUVs with spare wheels bolted on the tail gate. My personal view.

Excellent, exhaustive review. I must say that the Fortuner looks great from outside but the interiors, especially the centre console looks very rudimentary. But may be all things add up to the price which beats that of the Captiva, Pajero and the CRV.

The Fortuner might be priced lower/competitively in India when compared to other compact/mid-size SUVs. This is no excuse to sell a car worth 20 lakhs with drum brakes on the rear, no side/rear air bags, no esp, no traction control, no hill descent control, no power seats, no telescopic steering, etc. Also, folks don't forget that this is based on Hi-lux and Innova so lots of parts sharing. This is not a vehicle made for advanced western markets, but a cheap SUV made for developing markets. So please restrain yourself while comparing it to CRV, Captiva, Outlander etc. let alone X5, Prado, Land Cruiser etc.

14-16 lakhs is what this car should cost the max, including all the above options! Yeah, lot of people don't get it, including my uncle who has booked one for a delivery in January 2nd week!

What a bummer! People have become so used to shelling out top bucks for mediocre (or very pedestrian) cars in India that 18.45 for a SUV starts sounding cheap.So fan boys, please don't jump on me for this harsh comment.

Note - if you are comparing Fortuner to CR-V please keep in mind that CR-V is almost the same price (or more when compared with low end Fortuner models) as a Fortuner in many countries including, U. A. E, Indonesia, South Africa etc. CR-V is just selling at ridiculous prices in India because of the import duties, otherwise it would sell more or less at the same price as an Accord, i.e. more or less 18 lakhs ex-showroom.